Caster's Guide to Bows and Arrows
by Vainamoinen

This book has been written from the viewpoint of a cleric, but the instructions
can be applied to magic-users as long as you understand that carrying a bow
will give extra weight and mages are usually weaker than clerics so it might
cost some dodge.

		  Chapter 1 - Why use a bow?

		  Chapter 2 - What kind of bow should I use?

		  Chapter 3 - What kind of arrows should I use?

		  Chapter 4 - Are bows useful in the War?


	 Chapter 1 - Why use a bow?
	 ==========================

You will probably wonder why one should use bow if he didn't even practise
missile skill. Missile is a thief skill, and thus very difficult to practise
for clerics. Clerics have one big advantage compared to other classes when it
comes to bows, however. It is almost IMPOSSIBLE to miss a BLINDED target with
a bow. For example, a shadow mob with high defense, that even max ob warriors
have hard times hitting, will die easy if you blind it and then start shooting.

Another reason to use bows is that they do damage faster than you would do
if you used a sword or any other weapon. This varies somewhat between different
kinds of bows as explained in the next chapter.


	 Chapter 2 - What kind of bow should I use?
	 ==========================================

It is the general guide that the bigger bow you use, the more damage you make
per shot, but on the other hand with a small bow you get more shots per time
unit. The bows commonly available in stores are shortbow and longbow. Shortbow
is quite fast, but has low damage. Longbow does more damage but is a little
slower. I am personally in favour of fast bows, since then you have time to
shoot at the target even if he hits you every now and then. If you have a bow
that takes long to shoot, it is likely that the target will hit you before
you get the arrow in the air and you have to start all over. If you have good
defense or prefer to flee after each shot, then I imagine a slower bow with
higher damage is a good option.

There is a number of other rarer bows available, I will mention a couple.

a) orcish shortbow
This is my first choice of all the bows available. It is the fastest, and does
more damage than I would ever do with a sword. As the name suggests, it is of
orcish manufacture and thus a little difficult to acquire for low level players
but there are place(s) where you can get it without killing anything. Also
check Rivendell smithy, sometimes people sell them there.

b) embellished bow
This bow has probably the highest damage but it is slow. I know all thieves
would prefer this over orcish shortbow but it's just too slow for my playing
style. It is also harder to find than any other bow.


	 Chapter 3 - What kind of arrows should I use?
	 =============================================

There are four factors that define how good the arrow is. Most important is
the damage. For arrows generally available, I think war arrow (for sale in
Fornost) has the highest damage. Another thing that varies between different
arrows, is the number you can fit in your quiver. For war arrows this is 25,
but for ash arrows available in Rivendell it's 50. Third variable is how they
behave in fire. War arrows will burn in firestorm, but I'm not sure of ash
arrows as I never use them. The last thing is how easy it is to hit with
the arrow. But since we are discussing mostly blinded opponents, this makes
no difference as you will hit anyway.

You can also enchant these arrows for higher damage, but as I often get hit
by firestorms or just plain lose arrows, I prefer not to enchant my war arrows.

There are other type(s) of arrows available, which can stand extreme heats and
have very good damage, but they are difficult to acquire.


	 Chapter 4 - Are bows useful in the War?
	 =======================================

If you fight a blinded orc, troll, or black numenorean, you can shoot it as
well as any other being. If your opponent is a caster with faster spells than
you have, and you have a fast bow, it is sometimes worth a try to attempt to
shoot him even if he isn't blind. You won't be making much damage, but at least
if you hit him his spells will get cancelled.